


Black as Night

by MugenYumeDansu



Category: Lost Boys (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-08 01:52:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15232773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MugenYumeDansu/pseuds/MugenYumeDansu
Summary: Set Pre/During movie.The Lost Boys aren't the only Vampires in Santa Carla anymore.Seraph, her brother Ellis, and her small group of envoys have come to check up on the activity in Santa Carla for their Master, who sits on the American Vampire Council, only to find something going on that their Master definitely wouldn't approve of.Seraph and David don't exactly get off on the right foot, but she doesn't want to see the Lost Boys dead, so she steps in.Little does she know that this is the first step to a beautiful friendship.**Currently Looking for a writing partner on this story.





	1. Chapter 1

Seraph, in life Seraphina, had been called before Lord Lancaster.

She wasn't entirely sure why, only that it was important. Likely some assignment from the Council.

Ellis, her younger brother in life, and now in death, followed close behind.

Seraph made her way down the corridor of the manse and to the door of Lord Lancaster's private study. She knocked twice and waited. A moment later a reply came from the other side of the thick oak door.

"Enter." His deep baritone bid her. She opened the door and stepped inside, Ellis not a step behind.

He was very cautious, her brother. And protective. He always had been. Lancaster had found them on the streets at twelve and ten. He had taken them in and raised them himself until turning them both at the ages of twenty and eighteen. He was as close to a father as either of them had ever known. He cared for them both, as if they truly were his children. Now, over seventy five years later here they were, both enforcers for the council. Lancaster's most trusted, aside from Dante and Alanna, who were his personal bodyguards. Both of whom were absent at this meeting. Curious.

Seraph knelt before her liege. He was an impressive man, tall and broad, classically handsome with chocolate brown eyes and long blonde hair pulled back away from his face. He was impeccably dressed in a tailored pinstripe suit in charcoal, with a silver tie and kerchief to match. His long pale fingers bore a single sgnet ring with a deep amber stone.

"You sent for me, milord?" She asked, showing him all due deference. Ellis was close behind her on his knees as well, silent as he always was in the presence of their Master.

"Yes, my Angel. I have a job for you. I need something, or rather someone looked in on. There has been news of a string of incidents from his city, and I want it seen to. Go to Santa Carla and find out if it is true that more people than nessesary are being hunted, find out why, and put a stop to it. I want this taken care of before council meeting next month." He informed her, using the name that he only called her when she was working.

"Milord, do you want it to be a sweep?" She lifted her green eyes to regard her master and cocked her head, black hair falling over her shoulder in the process.

"Too many bodies washing up with neck wounds on the beach, and too many people going missing off the streets makes it hard for us to stay undiscovered. It is imperative that you fix this by whatever means necessary. I would prefer it to be a willing agreement on the part of the locals, but if not then you know your job, my sweet." He told her.

"Yes Lord Lancaster. Do you wish me to go alone or to take the others?" She asked, glancing up at her surrogate father.

"Hmm. I think this make take more than a solitary agent, good as you are. Take Ellis and any others you wish to accompany you." He confirmed her unvoiced request. Seraph smiled a wicked grin.

"As you say milord. We shall leave immediately and return as soon as our task is complete." She rose swiftly, not needing dismissal and strode out the door. Ellis followed close on her heels, her constant shadow.

***

Seraph was impatient. Ellis and the others had yet to arrive. 

Seraph tapped her foot as she waited for the rest of her crew in the driveway of the Master's estate. She was currently leaning against her black and red Ninja, dressed to the nines in black leather pants, knee high motorcycle boots, a silver and purple corset top and a tight leather jacket with two buckles at the small of her back and one on each arm.

Her hip length hair was pulled back out of her face in a tight braid, and a black choker with silver chain accents and a single amethyst teardrop in the center graced her throat. Her ears bore three silver rings each.

She wore very little in the way of makeup. Just black eyeliner, cat eye style, and light purple eyeshadow that made her the green of her eyes around out, like acid. Her lips had a coating of ChapStick, but nothing else.

All of the vampires she was waiting for were reliable so she knew they would show, but she wanted to get this show on the road. She fidgeted with the signet ring that was identical to Lancaster's with the exception of an amethyst rather than a garnet on her left index finger.

Her ears perked up at the sound of laughter that drifted to her on the night air. Finally they were here.

Her brother was the first to drop down to the pavement. He was tall and slender, but well muscled, with shaggy black hair, like Seraph. He wore a faded boots and a long leather duster with a massive hood, and a black mask emblazoned with a skeletal grin. With it on he looked like the grim reaper. The massive scythe he carried didn't hurt that image any.

The next to touch down was a slight woman with bright blue eyes and bubblegum pink hair that hung in spikes around her pointed face and made her look like a faerie. This was Bliss. She was dressed in a dark pink tank top that bore a black sequined heart, a studded jean jacket with the sleeves pushed up to her elbows, a lighter pink jean miniskirt with torn fishnets and knee high converse sneakers in a similar shade of pink. Her makeup was loud and bright pink, with her lips painted in a heart shape. She giggled a high pitched squeaking laugh as she landed.

The next in line was the exact opposite of Bliss. This girl was tall and thin, but muscular. She had shaggy black hair in a David Bowie/Jareth/labyrinth style mullet, amber brown eyes rimmed with black liner, a ripped black tee over a Def Leppard tank top, acid washed jeans and black boots with black leather fingerless gloves. Zephyr was her name.

Next came a very tall, broad chested man with a shaved head and hazel eyes. He towered over the others. He wore a short sleeve black shirt and a black coat over it, ripped jeans and steel toe boots. He had a pair of studded black gloves on and a silver chain hung around his thick neck. The Shade was the only name anyone had ever called him. No one knew if he even had a proper name.

The last to arrive was a girl of average height and curvy build. She had a mane of curly, dark red hair that hung to her waist, and deep blue eyes. She wore a black tank dress with a gold chain belt around her middle, black ankle boots, a knee length red leather coat, and black fingerless gloves. Her name was Reina.

Seraph stepped forward and embraced the other women. They were her closest friends, and the best fighters she had ever known.

Bliss was quick as lightning, and deadly fast with her stilettos.

Zephyr was a martial artist, and employed multiple forms, including tai chi quan, kung fu, and akido. She also used projectile weapons like senbon needles and shuriken.

Ellis had his scythe and he was just as good with it as Seraph was with her Angel Wings; the stylized daggers that Lord Lancaster had gifted her when she had turned.

The Shade used several types of brass knuckles.

And Reina was deadly accurate with her pistols. She had several types of bullets that worked on non-humans. Her chain belt would get traded in for a bandolier loaded with silver and holywater hollow points, and of course, good old iron.

The six of them made a damn good team. Its why the council always sent them on the big operations.

The only vampires aside from them that were at their caliber were the twins, Lucille and Santino, nicknamed Lucifer and Satan. The twins were also well known for their lack of restraint though, meaning the council generally only employed them when they wanted the target dead.

Seraph and her team tended to get the assignments that required at least some kind of diplomacy, rather than outright eradication.

"So, Fearless Leader, what's the skinny?" Bliss asked, popping her chewing gum loudly. She was only about 5'4" and the smallest of the group. She made up for it by being the loudest.

Zephyr grimaced and smacked Bliss in the back of the head.

"Rude. Try speaking without mouth full. Is disgusting." The darker girl said.

"Ugh, bite me, Ruskie!" The neon girl replied. The Russian girl only glared in response.

"Shut up Faeriedust. Boss is talkin'." The Shade cut in. Seraph nodded to him in response.

"The Master wants us to check out a place down south on the coast. Place called Santa Carla. Said there's a bit of talk going round about folks going missing, and bodies washing up on the beach. He wants us to make a discreet inquiry and find out why. If its something can be taken care of without bloodshed, then do it. If not, wipe the slate." The green eyed woman explained, throwing her leg over the seat of her Ninja. The others nodded and split up, each going to a different vehicle.

The Shade and Bliss headed for a dark red '70 Camaro with black pinstripes down the sides.

Ellis went for his own bike, a silver Suzuki Katana.

Zephyr mounted her red and black '69 Harley.

Reina made her way over and climbed on behind Ellis. The redhead generally preferred flight over driving, but this would take too much energy to fly from San Francisco down the coast to Santa Carla.

As it was they had to stop over at a safe house for the night halfway there.

Seraph turned the key to her well loves machine and the others followed suit. They pulled out of the massive garage and down the winding drive to the street, and they were off.

***

David was starting to lose his cool. His sire had lost his fucking mind. Max had it in his head to find a mother for the boys. They hadn't needed one for the last thirty years, why would they need one now?

But Max couldn't be swayed. He had already attempted to put a leash on the Boys by forcing David to turn Star, the young girl he had found sleeping on the beach one night. He didn't see that she wasn't meant to be one of them. She was too soft, too innocent.

Then when she wouldn't complete the turn and feed the old man had invaded her mind without her knowledge and tried to force her hand by dragging Laddie into it and trying to coerce her into feeding from the boy. That plan had backfired horrendously when Star had attacked the boy in the hazy fog of compulsion Max had put on her, only for her to realize what she was doing halfway through and fight off the compulsion. 

Then she had turned the boy in an attempt to heal him after Max had made her rip his throat out. Now they were stuck with two half vampires instead of one.

Dwayne and Star had both become very protective of the boy, keeping him from feeding when he lost control.

David knew that Laddie couldn't take becoming a vampire either, so he left them to it. 

Now Max was dead set on finding them a mother.

All of them thought he was insane. They neither needed, nor wanted a mother. Hell, they didn't need a father either. Max sure as hell didn't act like one. He was so stuck on being 'normal' like the humans he was around constantly. The Boys would never fit in that world. Too wild, too free spirited and wrapped up in their own undead lives to bother caring what their sire wanted.

David was pretty sure that Max couldn't understand that either. The old man seemed to be stuck in his own delusion though.

It was getting old. Fast.

David was already damn close to challenging his sire for his freedom. The young blonde was already pretty powerful on his own, a Master in his own right. Just a step down from Max himself. The other three were damn close to being the same.

Another decade and they would be. And if they issued a challenge now, they had the strength between them to beat him.

That would free Star and Laddie to go back to their weak human lives.

Something David would be glad to see. He didn't hate Star. But he didn't tolerate weakness in his pack. She was nothing but.

The only time she had shown an ounce of strength was in her resistance to feed.

It had impressed David. He had no desire to clean up the mess after she turned and snapped, either going on a rampage, or slowly starving herself to death.

It wouldn't be pretty no matter which way she went. And David would be stuck with the cleanup.

Which he would also be stuck with if Max chose a 'Mother' who ended up being too weak to make the turn. Cleanup was something David detested.

So he plotted and planned.

And then he spotted the dark haired boy on the boardwalk. And when Max told him to turn the boy, Michael, in order to get to his mother, David didn't exactly resist.

***

Seraph pulled the ninja into the parking lot of Santa Carla's boardwalk. The others followed close behind. The Shade parked his Camaro beside her, Ellis pulled the Katana on the other side of his sister and Zephyr's Harley was beside him.

They all dismounted and looked around. The others turned to her.

"Well, this is where the majority of the bodies washed up, and where most of the humans disappeared. So more than likely this is the central hunting ground of our target." Ellis spoke up.

"Right. Then that means this is our best bet at finding them so we can figure out our next step. Alright, Bliss and Shade take the southern end of the boardwalk, Zephyr you and Ellis take the beach. Reina and I will start on the north end. Meet back here about an hour after everything closes and we'll see what we got." Seraph laid down the orders, clear and simple. The other two groups broke off and headed to their designated area to start scouting.

Seraph led Reina into the crowd. The redhead stayed close.

"So where to first?" She asked Seraph.

"Well first we're heading over to get something to eat. I'm fuckin' starved. Then we head for some game booths I guess. Look around, see what we can see." She told her friend. Reina grinned.

"Sweet." She linked her arm with Seraphs and dragged her over to get some cotton candy. Seraph shook her head. It never failed that the redhead went for the sweets first.

They stood in line for close to fifteen minutes before they got to the counter where Reina bought two extra large sticks of cotton candy in different flavors, and Seraph opted for one small one in original. From there they headed over to some of the games. 

Seraph won three games, earning two cheap plastic necklaces and a bright green stuffed raccoon. Reina won herself a purple giraffe. They carried their prizes around as they perused some of the stores along the walk.

A young woman shopping in one of the boutiques caught Seraph's eye. There was something about her.

She had a cloud of brown hair to her shoulders and she was dressed in a whit tank top and a multicolored spangled skirt. She was also barefoot.

Seraph gave her partner a mental nudge. Reina zeroed in on the girl. She couldn't have been more than sixteen.

When she turned there was a telltale glint of yellow in her usually brown eyes. And they knew. She was a half.

Definitely not the vampire they were after.

So they followed her. Any self respecting vampire would know they were being followed. This girl was completely oblivious.

They tailed her down to the beach where Ellis and Zephyr were at. 

'We found something. Meet up.' She sent a mental command to the other two, who joined them shortly.

"What did you find?" Zephyr asked. Reina pointed down into the dancing crowd. She sent a mental image to the others and they quickly located her among the throng. 

"A half. Not much of one either. Doubt she'd make it. Whoever turned her must be around somewhere. Maybe she'll lead us to them." Seraph said. 

"Maybe she already has." Ellis pointed a little ways off where four boys sat astride a quartet of cycles. The apparent leader, a boy with a platinum blonde mullet was watching the girl like a hawk. He had the air of a vampire around him. All four of them did. They were unnaturally still.

When one of the others, a short one with a riot of blonde curls down his back, turned to say something to one of his companions his eyes reflected the light, like a cat. And they had their answer. Definitely vampires.

Now they just had to figure out how to go about approaching them. Just then Bliss showed up, bobbing her way through the crowd toward them, sans the Shade.

As she got within hearing distance she pulled Zephyr into an impromptu dance. The Russian woman leaned down and listened as the pink wonder whispered in her ear.

They both turned to the rest of the group.

"I think we have a problem. We found a vampire, but you're not going to like it." The waif told them.

"Yeah?" Seraph inquired.

"Its Max. The exile." If Seraph had had a heart it would have skipped a beat then.


	2. Chapter 2

"Son of a FUCKING bitch!" Seraph screamed again as she put her fist through another wall in the abandoned house they had daylight proofed the night before.

"This is bad. He's supposed to be dead." Ellis said grimly from his perch on the old couch.

"After what he tried to pull on the council? Yeah. Definitely." Reina added. She was lounging in a chair across the room.

"How the fuck did he survive being staked in the sun?" The Shade asked quietly. He stood with his arms crossed in the doorway.

"Is very rare, but some vampire are immune to sun. Don't burn like rest of us." Zephyr explained from the floor where she was going through katas.

"How the hell can that be? We're fucking vampires." Bliss snarked as she hung from one of the exposed rafters.

"She's right. It is rare. Only a handful of vampires end up with the ability. One of the most famous was Dracula himself." Seraph told them.

"Wait, Dracula was real?" Bliss asked, incredulous.

"Yeah. But he was nothing like the stupid book portrayed. He was very old and very insane. He was convinced that some poor woman was the reincarnation of his wife before he was turned. Of course, she wasn't, but he tried to turn her anyway. She didn't survive the turn and Drac got himself staked by some bastard who called himself Van Helsing." Ellis said in a bored tone.

"Wait, does that mean he really could shape shift and all that?" The pink girl asked excitedly. She was the youngest, and didn't know everything about vampires yet, despite being over fifty years turned.

"No. Vampires can't shape shift." The Shade told her sternly. She deflated and stuck out her lower lip in a pout.

"No that bullshit was likely glamour, or Stoker making shit up. Probably the latter." Seraph commented offhandedly.

"So what do we do about Max?" Reina asked. A loaded question, that.

"Well, honestly he has no right to be on American soil, seeing as he was exiled before they tried to execute him. So he has a death sentence on his head. But the others don't. He probably made them when he set up shop here. Which means the Council has to decide. They probably don't even know the council exists. Let alone that their sire is breaking any laws by being alive." She explained.

After all, it wasn't like they were at fault for what Max had done. Sins of the father, right?

"So we get rid of Max. Quick and quiet. Bring his head, and the vampires, back to Lancaster." Reina sighed.

"Should be easy." Zephyr said deadpan.

The Shade and Seraph both yawned. Dawn was approaching fast. Time to turn in for the day.

The six vampires scattered to their respective sleeping spots, each settling in and beginning to drift off. Seraph hung from her rafter, her back to her brother as they both drifted into sleep like death.

***

David woke with a bad feeling. Which he shouldn't, because last night had gone off without a hitch. Michael had taken the bait and drank from the bottle. Last night had been a spectacular success. Max would have been proud.

Tonight David and the boys would be taking Michael out for his initiation. David was thinking the bridge. That would be fun.

But first he and the Boys were going to go have a little fun.

If only he could shake the feeling that something was wrong.

David tried to push it to the back of his mind, but it wouldn't stay dormant for long.

"C'mon Boys. Let's go grab a bite." He laughed darkly at his own joke. Dwayne chuckled and Paul and Marko both cackled as they took flight into the night.

They cruised the darkened beach looking for prey.

Dwayne and Paul found a couple making out on a blanket just above the high tide line. Likely out here for the privacy.

The four vampires circled above, and then pounced. The screams cut off quick as they all took turns. After the couple had been drained Marko and Dwayne flew the bodies out to drop them in the ocean while Paul and David shared a joint.

When the other two rejoined then they all headed back to pick up their bikes and head for the boardwalk.

David felt the itching of eyes on him as soon as they arrived. It didn't go away even after they met up with Michael.

And as they led the unsuspecting teen out to the rail bridge the feeling seemed to get worse.

He couldn't really even enjoy himself. The feeling became unbearable, leading to him snapping at the others as they whooped and hollered, heading for their bikes. He decided enough was enough. He split off as they drove off toward the cave. He headed out along the highway into a deserted stretch of road. 

The feeling followed him still. Good.

He stopped in the middle of nowhere and got off the Triumph. He turned to where he thought the feeling was coming from.

"I know you're out there! Come and face me!" He yelled at the sky, throwing his arms wide. He turned in a circle, eyes on the dark sky.

He waited for several minutes before something happened.

A girl swooped down from the heavens and dropped to the ground in front of him. She met his eyes dead on.

"I've been hoping to get you alone. We need to talk." She told him. She was beautiful, with acid green eyes and long black hair. She was an inch or two shorter than David himself, dressed in black leather and purple.

"Well you got me all to yourself sweetheart. Explain why you've been following me and my Boys all night?" He prompted with an irritated quirk of one blonde eyebrow.

She lifted one back at him.

"Well, you see, I'm here doing my job. Got some business with a vamp named Max. I'm assuming he's your sire, right?" She asked, slowly circling around him. He turned so she was never at his back, in turn circling around her.

"Yeah. So?" He gave her an indifferent look.

"Well it isn't exactly a friendly visit." She cocked her head, gauging his reaction. His eyes narrowed.

"You don't say?" He turned to face her fully.

"Just how loyal are you to that sire of yours? I need to know before I can just let you walk away." She asked. She stopped circling and turned to face him as well. Suddenly David threw back his head and laughed.

"Is that what you want? Wanna know if I'm gonna run and tell him he's got someone after his head? Be there to fight at his side?" He asked after he stopped laughing. The girl inclined her head, watching him warily. This sent David into another fit of laughter.

"Truth is I'd rather not drag a relatively innocent person into this. I just want Max's head." She told him sincerely, settling her hands on her hips.

"Nah, truth is I hate the bastard. Been trying to figure a way to get rid of his crazy ass for a while now. You'd be doing me a favor." David told the woman.

"Well good. That makes the next part a little easier. We need to talk. About you and your pack's survival after Max is taken care of."

"Survival?" David went into a let mode again.

"Unfortunately, yes. I have no beef with you, and since you could care less about your sire, that means you have no beef with me. But there is more going on than I think you're aware of. So allow me to fill you in. I'm Seraph, by the way." She took a step forward, offering her hand to him.

"David." Still wary David took it and shook.

"Well, David, I think now would be a good time to introduce you to my brother Ellis." She told him. Another vampire that David hadn't realized was hiding in the dark stepped into his line of sight. To say he was irritated to have allowed them to get the drop on him would be an understatement.

"Nice to meet you. Don't worry, I wouldn't have stepped in unless Seraph needed me to." The other vampire said, offering his own hand. The family resemblance was uncanny. Ellis looked lime a male version of Seraph. Not twins, but damn close. David felt a bit unnerved with two pairs of acid green eyes on him.

"Good to know. Now what is it that we need to talk about?" He pulled his pack of cigarettes out and put one to his lips. He lit it and inhaled deep, regarding the two before him.

"Well, first you need to know that there's a ruling Council that Max likely never told you about. They sent us here to investigate the unusual number of bodies. And the disappearances." The boy told him.

"No shit? There's a council of vampires? Huh." David whistled low.

"Yes. And Max didn't tell you because he got himself into some serious trouble with them about a century ago. They exiled him from the American territory and then tried to execute him. The Council believed he was dead until now." Seraph crossed her arms.

"So let me get this straight. Max is in deep shit with the Council, not even supposed to be in this country, let alone alive, and here he is right under your noses?" He asked the siblings.

"Basically, yes. So you see why I was worried about your loyalty. It's our job to take his head back to the council. And I'm very good at my job." She grinned then. David let that sink in for a moment before he asked the next question.

"Well good riddance to the old bastard. Saves me and my Boys the trouble of trying to kill him later. That reminds me, you said something about our survival. What exactly did you mean by that?" David watched the two of them glance at each other before returning their gaze to him.

"That's the tricky bit. See, since he's your sire, and because of his crimes, normally we would have to destroy you as well. But there's a loophole. First, he turned you long after he was presumed dead, so you weren't aware of his crimes. Second, you hold no loyalty to him, which exempts you of sharing his guilt, thus giving you a legal claim to freedom." She told him. He felt like there was more, judging by her expression.

"But, we would have to take you before the Council and let them judge you themselves." Ellis finished for her. David felt his gut drop.

"Let me guess, there's a good chance the Council will decide to just kill us and be done with it?" He asked, taking g another drag from his cigarette.

"Precisely." Ellis nodded grimly.

"Of course, there may be a way to change their minds. If someone of high rank were to vouch for you. And if someone were willing to teach you the Council laws. Someone who happens to be on the Council." Seraph smiled a slow, almost seductive smile. David raised a brow at her.

"And you just happen to be on the Council?" He inquired.

"No. But my sire is. And he trusts me implicitly. If I offered to train you, and gave him my word that you would comply with Council law, then that would greatly increase your chances of survival." She cocked her head and regarded her fingernails.

"And what's in it for you?" David spoke bitterly. He stubbed his cigarette out and watched them both.

"Truthfully? Nothing. But I like you, David. You're smart. Resourceful. Maybe you could prove useful to me some day." She told him.

"That's it?" The blonde asked, disbelieving.

"That's it. There are too many stupid vampires out there. The smart ones need to stick together. I'm not blind. I can see that you and the rest of your pack, have potential. How many of you are Masters?" She didn't beat around the bush.

"Currently just me. But the others are damn close. I give it a decade, give or take, before we all are. Why?" He narrowed his eyes again. She was going somewhere with this, he just wasn't sure where.

"See, that's exactly why. You hand picked every one of them yourself, right?" She continued. He nodded. "Well that right there is damn near unheard of. Sixty percent of all vampires never get to that level. To see four Masters in one pack, with no weaker vampires? That's something that never happens. The halflings you're making, what about them?" 

"Two of them won't make it. But I didn't choose them. Max did. The third, he's strong. I can feel it. Maybe not a Master, but close." He told her.

"That would make your pack a damn powerful one. Have any of you developed abilities that aren't normal?" Ellis asked, plopping himself down on the ground at his sister's feet. David sank down on the seat of his bike and relaxed some.

"Yeah. We all have. Marko has a thing with birds, all kinds of birds. Paul is good with illusions. Me and Dwayne can do other stuff. Is that unusual?" He asked, curious now about just how unique he and his boys were.

"Very. Some Master vampires can call some kind of animal, but it isn't common. Illusions are a little more common, but still not likely. I'm betting that the older he gets the better he'll get. May even develop other abilities. You and the other one, I'm betting your gifts are rarer." The boy spoke.

"See, there are quite a few vampires in our coven. Only nine are Master. Out of those only three of us have any kind of power. My brother and I, and our Sire." Seraph smiled and held out a hand, palm up. A small flame jumped to like in her hand. David jumped back slightly in response to the sudden appearance of light. David grinned then and reached out a hand. A thin layer of frost coated his fingers but quickly thicken and crew to cover his entire hand in an inch thick layer of ice.

"Impressive. Elemental abilities are nearly unheard of." Seraph extinguished her flame. David did the same, the ice melting away in seconds. He turned to regard Ellis.

" I can call coyotes." The boy said with a shrug.

"So, does all of this mean that you are on our side?" David got straight back to the matter at hand.

"Yes, I guess it does. If you help us take down Max, then we take you back to the Council and my Sire and I vouch for you. When the Council grants you leniency, my brother and I will return with you and mentor you in vampiric law. And if I ever have need of you, I call, you answer. Deal?" She extended her hand once more. David didn't deliberate long. He took her hand and shook it. And like that the contract was sealed.


	3. Chapter 3

"So we get a free pass if we basically hand Max over on a silver platter?" Marko asked from his perch on the edge of the derelict fountain. He had a bird in his hand, petting and cooing to it. David dropped into his chair and rested his head on one hand.

"Basically. That and we owe this Seraph chick a favor." David clarified.

"Do you think their tellin' the truth? About Maxie?" Paul asked from somewhere near the ceiling where he was floating, higher than a kite.

"Seemed like it. They were ready to kill me. All of us, if we were loyal to the Old Man." David was staring into empty space, mulling over the whole situation again.

David was dead sure that there were more than just two or three of them. And for whatever reason the siblings made him uneasy. Something about them made his skin itch and made him simultaneously want to run and hide, and stand up and fight.

His ego took a blow at that, though. As strong as he was, he was sure he didn't stand a chance against one of those creepy, green eyed freaks.

Let alone both, or whatever armada they had brought with them.

To top it off they had showed up just in time to hand David the solution to a problem he'd been trying to figure out for months now, all neat, and tidy. Wrapped in a fucking bow.

There was no way they were that lucky. There had to be some catch. Or something else going on behind the scenes that was going to royally fuck them all 

It made for some unsettling thoughts.

His second had yet to weigh in his opinion, having barely said five words through his leader's entire explanation. Now he sat on the broken down couch, brooding.

"Dwayne? What'cha thinking?" He finally asked.

The darker vampire looked up at his brother.

"Sounds to good to be true. Something else is going on that we can't see yet." He echoed David's thoughts.

Great, so it wasn't just paranoia gnawing at him. If Dwayne thought something was up, then generally something was up. Well fuck.

"Yeah. That's what I'm thinking. Boys, for the next little while we need to be careful how we feed. No more bodies than necessary. And we burn them from now on. No more easy dumps in the ocean. I mean it, Paul." David laid down the law, backing it up with a command.

The taller blonde grumbled, but didn't protest. Instead he flipped over and asked David one of his classically Paul questions.

"So, was she hot?"

Marko turned and his pet took flight. Straight up past Paul's head, startling him into falling. Cussing and spitting he came up, launching himself at the cackling vampire, who avoided him easily, still laughing.

With that the tension eased some. It wasn't completely gone, but it wasn't unbearable any longer. David chuckled at his brothers and pulled his cigarette pack from the inside pocket of his coat and extracted a smoke.

Lighting up he eased back in his seat. Now, what to do about Michael?


	4. Chapter 4

Bliss popped her gum as they wandered down the boardwalk. Seraph and Reina were trailing behind, with Zephyr walking ahead. Ellis and the Shade were farther back, mingling with the crowd.

They were in no hurry, just watching the activity around them.

Later they were heading to meet up with David and his boys, and begin formulating a plan of how to get to Max. Apparently he had invested in a hellhound at some point since his 'execution', and the beast was a pretty formidable one.

Seraph had dealt with a hellhound once before. Wicked fast, deadly accurate, extremely strong, even for a vampire, and massive once they shed their mundane guise.

This one, she could tell, would be a problem. He was old, and strong. And smarter than the other one she had faced.

That one had been relatively young, and not very bright. This one? It had her pegged already, snarling silently and watching her when she had made her way past the door of the video rental place.

She really didn't want to tangle with that beast. She had scars from the first one, and it had been pretty easy to get rid of. This one would be a nightmare.

"So, how are we to do this?" Zephyr asked, tilting her head back to look at Seraph. Seraph sighed and snagged Ellis' bag of chips, ignoring her brother's indignant protest. She popped a handful of the salt snacks into her mouth and crunched away while she pondered the question.

"Well, I see it two ways. First, we take him by surprise while he's out away from the hound. Surround and strike, and be done with it. Or second, we lay a trap for him, and when the time is right, spring it and take his head." She explained, trying to formulate a plan that didn't involve fighting that damn hellbeast. 

"So you're avoiding the dog?" Shade commented blandly. Seraph bristled.

"Yes I'm avoiding the damn dog. Have you forgotten the first - and last - time we went up against a hellhound? The one I fought wasn't more than a pup, and yet it killed three vampires, and damn near got me. I actually have scars from that bitch." Seraph snapped. Shade held up his hands in surrender.

"We all have our scars, See. I don't ever want to go up against a witch again." Reina added.

"And none of us want to deal with a damn djinn. Those tricky bastards are made of fucking fire." Ellis finally spoke. His acid green eyes were glazed over for a moment, remembering that particular battle.

"Well, either way, hellhounds are nothing to play with. So we try to avoid him if at all possible. End of discussion." Seraph said with an air of finality. The others didn't argue.

Seraph felt a headache starting in the front of her skull. Grimacing she took one last handful of her brother's snack and handed the bag back. She didn't tell the others where she was going, she just broke off and headed in another direction. Away from the lights and noise of the boardwalk.

She made her way toward the pier, thinking about finding a human to satiate her ever present hunger.

(TBC)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Added a second half to this chapter, since apparently the original got deleted during posting, and I didn't notice it until now.
> 
> I greatly apologize to my readers for that.


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